| Order | Cover | Title | First published |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of Us Is Lying series | |||
| 1 |
|
One of Us Is Lying | 2017 |
| 2 |
|
One of Us Is Next | 2020 |
| 3 |
|
One of Us Is Back | 2023 |
| Standalone books | |||
| 1 |
|
Two Can Keep a Secret | 2019 |
| 2 |
|
The Cousins | 2020 |
| 3 |
|
Up All Night | 2021 |
| 4 |
|
You’ll Be the Death of Me | 2021 |
| 5 |
|
Nothing More to Tell | 2022 |
| 6 |
|
Marple: Twelve New Stories | 2022 |
| 7 |
|
Such Charming Liars | 2024 |
One of Us Is Lying series
The One of Us Is Lying books should be read in chronological order, which coincides with their publication order, because each sequel builds on earlier investigations, relationships, and unresolved consequences at Bayview. The best starting point is One of Us Is Lying, since it introduces Bayview High, the first central case, and the characters whose histories continue to shape the later books.[4-6]
The One of Us Is Lying series is a continuous mystery sequence set around Bayview. Each book introduces a new threat or investigation, but later installments depend on prior events, returning characters, and the consequences of earlier crimes. Readers need to start with book one to understand the central relationships, reputations, and unresolved tensions that carry into the sequels.[4-6]
The One of Us Is Lying books must be read in chronological order, which also matches their publication order, by following this sequence:[4-7]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
One of Us Is Lying | 2017[8-9] | Introduces Bayview’s first major case and core group. |
| 2 |
|
One of Us Is Next | 2020[10-11] | Follows a new Bayview threat shaped by earlier events. |
| 3 |
|
One of Us Is Back | 2023[12-13] | Brings together consequences from both previous books. |
1. One of Us Is Lying
One of Us Is Lying (2017)[8-9] opens the series with the death of Simon Kelleher during detention and the suspicion that falls on Bronwyn, Nate, Cooper, and Addy. It establishes Bayview High as a setting defined by secrets, public exposure, and criminal suspicion.[4]
This book also introduces relationships and past events that remain important to the later installments.[4]
2. One of Us Is Next
One of Us Is Next (2020)[10-11] shifts the focus to a new group of Bayview students, including Maeve Rojas, Knox Myers, and Phoebe Lawton, while keeping the earlier case in the background. Its Truth or Dare game creates a new mystery with consequences that reach beyond a single incident.[5]
This book is a sequel, because returning characters and earlier events help frame the danger.[5]
3. One of Us Is Back
One of Us Is Back (2023)[12-13] draws the previous Bayview stories into a broader continuation. It returns to Addy, Bronwyn, Maeve, Nate, Phoebe, and other connected characters while revisiting the damage left by earlier crimes and cover-ups.[6]
This installment relies on prior knowledge, since its central threats, suspicions, and emotional stakes are tied to both earlier books.[6]
Standalone books
Karen M. McManus standalone books do not need to be read in order, as they are self-contained mystery and thriller titles. Each novel introduces new characters, settings, crimes, and investigations.[14-20]
However, the Karen M. McManus books may be read in publication order, by following this sequence:[3][21-36]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Two Can Keep a Secret | 2019[21-23] | Twins uncover secrets in a murder-haunted town. |
| 2 |
|
The Cousins | 2020[24-26] | Three cousins investigate family secrets. |
| 3 |
|
Up All Night | 2021[27] | Features a short mystery about a deadly dare. |
| 4 |
|
You’ll Be the Death of Me | 2021[28-30] | Former friends become suspects in a murder case. |
| 5 |
|
Nothing More to Tell | 2022[31-33] | A student investigates a teacher’s unsolved murder. |
| 6 |
|
Marple: Twelve New Stories | 2022[3][34] | Features a Jane Marple family mystery. |
| 7 |
|
Such Charming Liars | 2024[35-36] | A jewelry heist leads to deadly consequences. |
Works in sequence
Two Can Keep a Secret offers a clear entry into the kind of self-contained mystery structure used across the novels: a contained community, a past crime, present danger, and young characters trying to understand what has been hidden. Readers interested in inheritance plots and family estrangement may instead begin with The Cousins.[14-20]
For readers who want a faster, single-day thriller, You’ll Be the Death of Me may be the better choice. Nothing More to Tell is another practical entry point for readers drawn to school-based cold cases and true-crime framing.[17-19]
Such Charming Liars may suit readers who prefer a heist-and-con-artist setup. The short stories in Up All Night and Marple are better treated as additional pieces rather than as starting points.[16][19-20]
1. Two Can Keep a Secret
Two Can Keep a Secret (2019)[21-23] follows Ellery and Ezra Corcoran as they move to Echo Ridge, a town marked by an old family disappearance and a more recent murder. This book establishes a self-contained mystery built around local history, public suspicion, and teenage investigation.[14]
It is a strong starting point because it introduces the author’s crime-centered approach without requiring any prior reading.[14]
2. The Cousins
The Cousins (2020)[24-26] shifts to Gull Cove Island, where Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are invited to work at the resort owned by their long-estranged grandmother. The mystery centers on inheritance, family secrets, impersonation, and events from the previous generation.[15]
It stands apart from Two Can Keep a Secret, yet it continues the broader pattern of young protagonists discovering concealed histories within a closed social circle.[15]
3. Up All Night
Up All Night (2021)[27] is a multi-author short-story collection that includes Karen M. McManus’s Never Have I Ever. This story follows Grace Finch after a party dare leads to the discovery of a dead neighbor and a police investigation.[16]
As a short piece, it adds a compact example of the author’s use of teen secrecy, crime, and misdirection.[16]
4. You’ll Be the Death of Me
You’ll Be the Death of Me (2021)[28-30] follows Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, former friends who skip school together and discover a classmate’s body in Boston. This novel is a standalone thriller with its own characters, setting, and investigation.[17]
Its structure is more compressed than the earlier novels listed here, centering on a single day that exposes older tensions and draws the characters into a criminal situation.[17]
5. Nothing More to Tell
Nothing More to Tell (2022)[31-33] centers on Brynn Gallagher, who returns to Saint Ambrose School while investigating the unsolved murder of a former teacher for a true-crime television internship. This book combines school history, media scrutiny, and old student secrets in a separate mystery.[18]
It may be read independently, though readers who follow the publication order will see another variation on the theme of hidden pasts resurfacing through teenage investigation.[18]
6. Marple: Twelve New Stories
Marple: Twelve New Stories (2022)[3][37] collects new Miss Marple cases by twelve different writers. The stories revisit her village circle and take her to settings including New York, Oxford, and a ship traveling to Hong Kong.[38]
Karen M. McManus contributed The Murdering Sort. This story follows Nicola West during a visit with Jane Marple, where a wealthy family’s suspicions turn into a murder investigation.[19]
7. Such Charming Liars
Such Charming Liars (2024)[35-36] follows Kat Quinn and Liam Rooney as a planned jewelry theft at a wealthy family compound becomes involved with murder, deception, and old criminal connections. This novel is standalone, with a new cast and setting.[20]
It does not require knowledge of the earlier novels or short stories.[20]
References
- Books. Karen M. McManus.
- Up All Night. Algonquin Young Readers. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781643752631.
- Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. HarperCollins Publishers.
- One of Us Is Lying. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9781524714758.
- One of Us Is Next. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780525707998.
- One of Us Is Back. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780593485040.
- Contact/FAQs. Karen M. McManus.
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus: 9781524714758. Penguin Random House.
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus: 9780525707998. Penguin Random House.
- One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus: 9780593485019. Penguin Random House.
- One of Us Is Back by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Two Can Keep a Secret. Ember. ISBN: 9781524714710.
- The Cousins. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780525708032.
- Up All Night. Algonquin Young Readers. ISBN: 9781643752631.
- You’ll Be the Death of Me. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780593175897.
- Nothing More to Tell. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780593175934.
- Marple. William Morrow. ISBN: 9780063136052.
- Such Charming Liars. Delacorte Press. ISBN: 9780593485088.
- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus: 9781524714710. Penguin Random House.
- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Books Australia.
- The Cousins by Karen M. McManus: 9780525708032. Penguin Random House.
- The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- The Cousins by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Books Australia.
- Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise by Laura Silverman – Books. Hachette Australia.
- You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus: 9780593175897. Penguin Random House.
- You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Books Australia.
- Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus: 9780593175934. Penguin Random House.
- Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Books Australia.
- Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. HarperCollins Publishers Canada.
- Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus: 9780593485057. Penguin Random House.
- Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. HarperCollins Publishers Canada.
- Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. William Morrow. ISBN: 9780063136052.